Apparatus for moving material



Aug. 1, 1933. F LKER 1,920,613

APPARATUS FOR MOVING MATERIAL Filed Nov. 5, 1928 5 Sheerls-Sheet 1 I uvz/avfaa 4. 02%

1, 1933- v F. WALKER 1,920,613 I APPARATUS FOR MOVING MATERiAL Filed Nov. 5, 1-928 s Sheets-Sheet? mw/avrzwg.

Aug. 1, 1933. F. L. WALKER 1,920,613

APPARATUS FOR MOVING MATERIAL Filed Nov. 5, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IIIIIIVIIIIIIIIA'II L INN Aug. 1, 1933. F. L. WALKER APPARATUS FOR MOVING MATERIAL Filed Nov. 5, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 A Q i W I N Q 0 O t a m n o O m A E Q 3 s m N E w a mm mm N NI. n m k W U Q 3 a n fw MN m 3, .m 3 mi W Aug. 1, 1933.

F. L. WALKER I APPARATUS FOR MOVING MATERIAL Filed Nov. 5. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Waa/ I. at e w lhpuiu i m rkkN .a mp mm A W lluu I Q 1, u

Patented Aug. 1, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates generally to means for transporting logs by what is commonly known as a high arch vehicle.

The main object of this invention is to provide an exceedingly efiicient log transporting apparatus which will be extremely powerful and durable in relation to its weight.

The second object is to provide a special form of cable Winding hoist adapted to be be used in connection with this apparatus in which it is possible to drive the drum in both directions and in which a special form of ratchet holding mechanism is provided for the drum.

The third object is to provide a special form 5 of ball and socket connection between the tractor element and the load sustaining vehicle.

The fourth object is to provide an overhead draw bar and an overhead hitch for the purpose of providing a minimum turning radius and for securing the maximum amount of traction under a heavy pull without tending to lift either end of the tractor out of engagement with the ground, as well as for gaining numerous structural advantages.

The fifth object is to provide a special form of control for the positive clutching mechanism. The sixth object is to provide a movable pinion shaft which expedites the installation and removal of the apparatus.

The seventh object is to place a braking element on the high speed pinion shaft to secure the best braking action.

The eighth object is to provide an adjustable connection between the high arch frame and the tractor for the purpose of securing the best possible action for a given ground and load condition.

The ninth object is to provide a direct connection between the clutch gear case and the side frames of the tractor.

The tenth object is to make it possible to set the drum brake at any time before or after the logs are raised from the ground.

I accomplish these objects in the manner set forth in the following specification as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the hoist section showing its connection to the tongue of the arch frame. Figure 2 is a plan View showing the hoist and showing (in dotted lines) the central and extreme lateral positions of the tongue. Figure 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1. Figure 4 is a section through the reverse gear clutch taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 3. Figure 5 is a section taken through the brake ring and clutch along the line 5-5 in Fig. 3. Figure 6 is a rear view of the frame and reverse gear taken along the line 66 in Fig. 1. Figure '7 is a section through the ball and socket tongue connection taken along the line 77 in Fig. 1. Figure 8 is a. section through the arch adjustment taken along the line 88 in Fig. 11. Figure 9 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevation of the high arch vehicle and tractor showing the lines of the principal forces. Figure 10 is a section through the spring case on the reverse clutch rod along the line 1010 in Fig. 2. Figure 11 is a perspective view of a typical logging operation. Figure 12 is a partial section through an alternative form of brake ring clutch. Figure 13 is a section thru a modified form of spring case similar to that shown in Fig. 10.

Similar numbers of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring in detail to the drawings, in order to illustrate this invention there is shown a common form of the crawler for track laying type of tractor whose ground engaging elements 20 support a frame 21 on which aremounted the usual engine 22, fuel supply tank 23 and drivers seat 24. e

The hoist itself consists of a pair of side frames 25 supported at their lower ends upon the axle 26 of the tractor by means of the clamps 27. Across the under side of the frames 25 is secured a platform 28 by means of the bolts 29. The side frames 25 are bolted .directly to the reverse gear casing 30 by means of the bolts 31. The power takeoff shaft 32 of the tractor is joined by a coupling 33 to a short pinion shaft 34 which journals in the bearings 35 which are mounted in a cage 36 within the casing 30. On the pinion shaft 34 is a pinion 37 which meshes with the reverse gears 38 and 39 which are loosely mounted on the reversible shaft 40 between the collars 41 which are secured to the shaft 40 by means of the set screws 42. On the shaft 40 between the gears 38 and 39 is splined a sliding clutch jaw 43 adapted to be shifted laterally by the formed lever 44 on the shaft 45 which projects upwardly through the casing 30 and has secured on its upper end the lever 46 to which is attached the operating rod 47, which, in turn, is connected to the reverse gear hand lever 48.

The ends of the shaft 40 are supported by the roller bearings 49 and 50 which are carried by the side frames 25. On one end of the shaft 40 is formed a pinion 5'1- and on the other end thereof is mounted a combined brake and ratchet mechanism consisting of a drum 52 around which is placed a brake band 53 operable by the hand brake lever 54 through the pull rod 55 and bell crank lever 56. Inside of the drum 52 is placed an over-rolling clutch having its wedging element 57 secured on the end of the shaft 40. Rollers 58 are employed between the wedging element 57 and the interior of the drum 52.

It will be understood that the drum 52 is loosely mounted on the shaft 40 and is separated from the member 57 by the washer 59.

J ournaling across the outer ends of the frames 25 is a shaft 60 upon which is keyed a cable winding drum 61 adapted to receive a cable 62. On the outer end of the shaft 60 is keyed a drum drive gear 63 which meshes with the pinoin 51. Spacer blocks 64 are secured between the under side of the frames 25 and the top of the platform 28.

In the rod 47 is interposed a spring case 66, one end of which is provided with a cap 67, and the other end of which is provided with a threaded plug end 68 adapted to be locked with relation to the case 66 by means of a nut 69. One end of the rod 47 threads into the plug 68 and the other end passes slidably; through the cap 67 and threads into loose piston 70 within the case 66. A spring 71 is interposed between the piston 70 and the plug 68, and the spring 62 is interposed between the piston 70 and the cap 67.

It will be observed that the tension on these springs can be varied by means of the plug 68 without changing the positional relation of the ends of the rod 47, the purpose of which being "to permit the clutch jaw 43 to be held in a strictly neutral position when the lever 48 is notched in a neutral position.

In the form shown in Figure 13 for the same construction is employed but without providing an adjustment for the springs, in which case a fixed cap 67 is threaded on each end of the case 66, one end of the rod 47 threading directly into a cap 67, and the other end of the rod 47 passing slidably through same, The side frames 25 are supported at their upper ends by the longitudinal brace rods 73 whose forward ends are secured to the brackets 74 which are attached to the tractor frame 21 by means of the bolts 75. The rearward end of each rod 78 passes through the eye 76 of the side frames 25 and is adjustably secured thereto by means of the nuts 77. Across the side frames 25 is secured a horizontal plate 78 into which is formed a socket 79 adapted to receive the ball end 80 of the shank 81.. The ball end 80 is confined within the socket 79 by means of a cover plate 82.

Turning now to the high arch vehicle whose use is greatly facilitated by the hoist above mentioned, it will be seen to consist of a pair of separated ground-engaging track laying elements 83 on whose frames 84 are pivotally mounted the lower ends 85 of the high arch frame 86. The high arch frame 86 is joined at its lower ends by the bars 87 and at its upper ends by the bars 88 to a transverse cross bar 89, preferably formed of structural materials. The connections between the members 87 and 88 to the member 89 are made toward the outer ends of the latter. Near the middle of the cross bar 89 is attached a neck 90 to which is secured the shank 81 of the ball and socket hitch which is mounted directly over the cable winding drum 61. The combined structure involving the arms 87, connecting piece 89 with the neck 90 forms a tongue with a rearward forked end and it will be noted that the forked portion of the tongue slopes upwardly and forwardly whereas the neck portion of the tongues slopes downwardly to its point of connection at the ball joint 80. This arrangement of tongue is very desirable. In the operation of these devices in the woods, particularly where the crawling type tractor is used, it is possible to drive this tractor over logs, or obstructions having a reach ashigh approximately as the axle of the tractor. When this happens and the rear end of the tractor drops off the log, or obstruction, if there is insufiicient clearance provided by the tongue the shock of the dropping tractor is received by the tongue. With the tongue sloping upwardly and forwardly as the tractor is advanced this slope prevents, in a very large measure, the obstructions stalling the apparatus and further it provides means whereby with this downward slope toward the rear the tongue may be brought down to a proper point of connection on crawling type ground engaging elements for the high arch. The bars 88 are provided with a plurality of holes 91 near the ends thereof, any one of which can be made to register with the hole 92 in the bracket 93 to which it can be joined by means of the pin 94.

The object of the adjustment thus provided is to make it possible to better adapt the device to varying working conditions.

On top of the arch 86 is mounted a-roll 95 over which passes the cable 62 which has fastened on its ends a butt hook 96 from which lead various choker lines 97, each of which can be attached to a log 98. It is desirable to provide fair leading rolls 99 on each side of the cable 62 between the roll 95 and the cable winding drum 61. The rolls 99 are carried by the auxiliary frame 100.

In the modification shown in Figure 12 the hub 101 of the brake drum 102 is provided with clutch teeth 103 which can engage the teeth 104 of the sliding jaw 105. The teeth 103 and 104 are urged into engagement bythe spring 106 which reacts between the jaw 105 and the collar 107 which is secured to the shaft 108 by means of the pin 109.

The operation of the device is as follows: 125 Assuming that it is desired to transport logs 98 from one place. to another, the device (as shown in Figure 1) is maneuvered by means of the tractor so that the various chokers can be attached to their respective logs, and also to the butt hook 96, it being understood, of course, that thelogs may be scattered about and lying in various positions on the ground, which may make it necessary to run out a considerable length of cable 62 in order that the logs may be assembled or moved toward an approximately parallel position, after which their forward ends can be raised from the ground for transportation purposes.

In order to run out the cable 62, as suggested, it is often necessary to take hold of the chokers and manually draw out this line, which of course includes the manual rotation of the cable winding drum. Often times this is no easy task, and to avoid the necessity of doing so there is provided the reverse gear mechaism which makes it possible to rotate the drum backwardly, making it necessary only to haul out the slack thus provided. When the chokers are all set the 150 operator will haul in all of the logs to the position shown in Figure 11, where the load is held by the ratchet mechanism and the brake. If, however, it is desired to lower the load the brake is released in the desired manner.

In other words, by setting the brake lever 54 and hauling in the cable 62 by means of its drum 61, the logs can be lifted any desired amount and will be held at exactly the point to which they are lifted. This action is automatic, leaving the operator free for other movements which he may desire to make.

As previously suggested, if the relative positions of the various'logs 98 which are to be picked up are too remote, or their angular relation is too great, it will often be found necessary to first align the logs, or make same parallel by dragging all of them a short distance without raising same from the ground. This act, of course, is accomplished by driving away with the tractor and high arch frame or hauling in the cable 62 itself, or by both operations being performed at the same time.

It will be noted in Figure 9 that, owing to the relative positions of the over-head hitch, namely the ball 80, the connection between the frame 86 and the frame 84, the drum 61 and the roll 95, it will be seen that the resultant of the principal forces entering into this problem is of a nature which will cause the entire length of the ground-engaging elements 20 of the tractor to remain in contact with the surface upon which it rides.

Owing to the fact that the conditions under which these vehicles operate vary so greatly, it has been found desirable to provide the adjustment made possible by the holes 91, by means of which adjustment the various lines of force can be altered to secure the desired ground-engaging position of the tractor element during the moments of greatest load.

While a simple form of this adjustment has been illustrated, it is obvious that the manner of accomplishing this adjustment could be varied greatly without departing from the invention.

It will be observed that the hitch in this mechanism is mounted above the cable winding drum instead of underneath same, as is the common practice. It will also be observed that, owing to the peculiar construction of the high arch vehicle and the manner in which it is attached to the tractor it is possible to maneuver the entire apparatus in an almost unlimited manner.

I am aware that many forms of cable-winding hoists have been constructed in the past; it is therefore not my intention to cover such devices broadly, but I do intend to cover all such forms and modifications thereof as fall fairly within the appended claims.

I claim:

l. The combination of a tractor; a hoisting drum mounted thereon; a trailer; a hitch connecting the trailer with the tractor; a lifting lead on the trailer; and a cable extending from the drum through the lead and adapted to apply lifting force to a load, the line of the cable from the drum to the lead being below a line from the hitch to the lead.

2. The combination of a tractor; a.hoisting drum mounted thereon; a trailer; a hitch connecting the trailer with the tractor; a lifting lead; a support for the lead; a mounting for the support on the trailer; and a cable extending from the drum through the lead and. adapted to apply lifting force to a load, the line of the cable from the drum to the lead being below a line from the hitch to the lead and the lead being positioned ,as near the tractor as the mounting for the support.

3. The combination of a tractor; a hoising drum mounted thereon: a trailer; a hitch connecting the trailer with the tractor; a lifting lead; a support for the lead; a mounting for the support on the trailer; and a cable extending from the drum through the lead and adapted to apply lifting force to a load, the line of the cable from the drum to the lead being below a line from the hitch to the lead and the lead being positioned in front of the mounting for the support.

4. In a material moving apparatus, the combination of a power-actuated tractor; a trailer comprising ground supports; a load-carrying support mounted on the ground supports; a tongue connecting the trailer with the tractor, said tongue sloping upwardly toward the forward end; a drum on the tractor; a lead on the support; and a line extending from the drum past the lead.

5. In a material moving apparatus, the combination of a power-actuated tractor; a trailer comprising ground supports; a load-carrying support mounted on the ground supports; a forked tongue connecting the trailer with the tractor, said tongue sloping upwardly toward the forward end; a drum on the tractor; a lead on the support; and a line extending from the drum past the lead.

6. In a material moving apparatus, the combination of a power-actuated tractor comprising continuous tracks and tractor carrying axles within the tracks; a trailer comprising ground supports; a load-carrying support mounted on the ground supports; a tongue connecting the trailer with the tractor, said tongue at the rear of the tractor having a ground clearance greater than the tractor axles; a drum on the tractor; a lead on the load support; and a line extending from the drum past the lead.

'7. In a material moving apparatus, the combination of a power-actuated tractor comprising continuous tracks, and tractor carrying axles within the tracks; and a trailer comprising ground supports; a load-carrying support mounted on the ground supports; a tongue connecting the trailer with the tractor, said tongue sloping upwardly toward the front end and having a clearance at the rear of the tractor greater than the height of the axle a. drum on the tractor; a lead on the load support; and a line extending from the drum past the lead.

8. In a material moving apparatus, the combination of a power-actuated tractor comprising continuous tracks and tractor carrying axles within the tracks; a trailer comprising ground supports; a load-carrying support mounted on the ground supports; a forked tongue connect-'- ing the trailer with the tractor, said tongue at the rear of the tractor having a ground clearance greater than the tractor axles; a drum on the tractor; a lead on the load support; and a line extending from the drum past the lead.

9. In a material moving apparatus, the. combination of a power-actuated tractor comprising continuous tracks and tractor carrying axles within the tracks; a trailer comprising ground supports; a load-carrying support mounted on the ground supports; a tongue connecting the trailer with the tractor, said tongue sloping upwardly from the rear and having a downwardly extending neck at the front end of the tongue; a drum on the tractor; a lead on the load support; and a line extending from the drum past the lead.

10. In a material moving apparatus, the combination of a power-actuated tractor; a trailer comprising ground supports; a load-carrying support mounted on the ground supports; a tongue connecting the trailer with the tractor, said load support having a pivotal relation to the ground supports and a rigid relation to the tongue; means maintaining the relation of the load support to the tongue comprising a brace extending from the load support to the forward part of the tongue; means for adjusting said brace to vary the foward and back position of the upper part of the load-carrying support; a lead on the load-carrying support; a drum on the tractor; and a line leading from the drum past the lead.

11. In a material moving apparatus, the combination of a power-actuated tractor; a trailer comprising separated ground supports; a loadcarrying support in the form of an arch extending between the ground carrying supports; a forked tongue between the trailer and the tractor, said arch having a pivotal relation to the ground supports and a rigid relation to the tongue; means maintaining the relation of the arch to the tongue comprising aforked brace extending from the arch to the forward end of the tongue; means for adjusting the brace to vary the forward and back position of the upper part of the arch; a lead on the arch; a drum on the tractor; and a line extending from the drum past the lead.

FLETCHER L. WALKER. 

